Political Socialization
Almost every individual in today's society has a set of political beliefs or values, but most of us hardly ever pause to think why we have such beliefs and how we have acquired them. Are they our own ideas or have we been influenced by others in our thinking? Most political scientists are of the opinion that people are not born with political ideas, nor do we manufacture them, we learn them through a process called political socialization. In this paper we shall see how this is so. In addition, we shall look at the background of political socialization, discuss its importance in today's society, identify the factors that influence the process of political socialization and evaluate their relative importance.

Background

The concept of political socialization can be traced as far back as Plato's philosophical works such as "The Republic" in which he looks for ways to develop an individual's character…...

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Works Cited

Dawson, R.E., and K. Prewitt. 1977 . Political Socialization. 2nd ed. Boston: Little, Brown.

Hahn, Carole L. "Civic Education in the U.S.: Recent Trends and Future Challenges." Basic Education: A Journal of Teaching and the Liberal Arts. 47.5 (July/August 2003)

Hepburn, Mary A. "The power of the electronic media in the socialization of young Americans: Implications for social studies education." The Social Studies. 89.2 (Mar/Apr 1998): 71-77

large number of political socialization agents for an individual, including the media, the family, and school environments. As a child I can remember one particular example that involved all of these in helping me to form a political impression. What was most vivid to me as a child, however, was the impression of complete absurdity and unreality -- although I imagine that most people who still recall the events I am thinking about would probably agree with this assessment in 2015. In order to recall this political event from 2003-2004, however, it is only necessary to remember two words: "Freedom Fries." Anyone who recalls these two words will probably recall the episode that I am describing, but I would like to attempt to recount how these political impressions struck me as a small child.
I know how I first recalled the term. It was in 2003 and French Fries were…...

A change of leadership and divisive social forces might pressure such hatreds into re-erupting, but these hatreds are still historical 'products.'
A balance between history and psychology is needed to fully understand why mass political atrocities occur. A diffusion of responsibility during the action such as a war or a collective lynching can be a facilitating factor, but the social and historical context must be acknowledged. An authority that validates the atrocity, as in the case of Hitler or Milosevic can legitimize terror, but the people's responsiveness to that figure has its roots in culture and collective psychology. Furthermore, distance from authority can also create a sense of validation -- although lynching was never part of the official justice system of the South, it was obvious that the authorities were willing to ignore lynchings, provided they was done under the cover of night. The repercussions for protecting African-Americans and treating…...

he Power Elite (1956) describes the relationship between political, military, and economic elite (people at the pinnacles of these three institutions), noting that these people share a common world view: 1) the "military metaphysic"- a military definition of reality, possess 2) "class identity"- recognizing themselves separate and superior to the rest of society, have 3) interchangeability: the move within and between the three institutional structures and hold interlocking directorates 4) cooptation/socialization: of prospective new members is done based on how well they "clone" themselves socially after such elite.

he United States represents the ideal place for the developing of the elite power. he way to understand the power of the American elite lies neither solely in recognizing the historic scale of events nor in accepting the personal awareness reported by men of apparent decision. Behind such men and behind the events of history, linking the two, are the major institutions of…...

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The Power Elite (1956) describes the relationship between political, military, and economic elite (people at the pinnacles of these three institutions), noting that these people share a common world view: 1) the "military metaphysic"- a military definition of reality, possess 2) "class identity"- recognizing themselves separate and superior to the rest of society, have 3) interchangeability: the move within and between the three institutional structures and hold interlocking directorates 4) cooptation/socialization: of prospective new members is done based on how well they "clone" themselves socially after such elite.

The United States represents the ideal place for the developing of the elite power. The way to understand the power of the American elite lies neither solely in recognizing the historic scale of events nor in accepting the personal awareness reported by men of apparent decision. Behind such men and behind the events of history, linking the two, are the major institutions of modern society. Within American society, major national power now resides in the economic, the political, and the military domains.

The Marxist power is a philosophical, social theory and a political practice based on the works of Karl Marx. Together with Friedrich Engels, he developed one of his famous works Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. One of the main theories of Marxism is inspirited by Hegel's philosophy proposed a form of idealism in which the progress of freedom is the guiding theme of human history. Another theory is that of the labour. Marx proposed a systematic correlation between labour-values and money prices. He claimed that the source of profits under capitalism is value added by workers not paid out in wages. This mechanism operated through the distinction between "labour power,"

Spheres of Influence
Political Sphere

Politics is that one course of action by which the choices and decision that influences our lives directly are reached. In simple words, politics can be described as a tool that is responsible for the shaping up and changing peoples' lives. It is not an untold secret that it is the sole responsibility of the government to fulfill the needs of its people. Society changes due to politics. Thus, politics influence almost every aspect of our lives. Not only does it tell us how much tax we are obliged to pay, it also sets the price of gasoline. The political leaders are not the same. However, they all affect our mentalities in one way or another by their leadership styles and decisions they make for the betterment or nuisance for the people. Everything that a person loves about his/her country (apart from the scenic beauty) comes into…...

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References

Crossman, A. (n.d.). Sociology of Gender: Studying the Relationship between Gender and Society. Retrieved July 19, 2012 from  http://sociology.about.com/od/Disciplines/a/Sociology-Of-Gender.htm 

Hardegree, E. (n.d.). 5 Economic Factors that Influence People's Behavior. Retrieved July 19, 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/list_6951654_5-factors-influence-people_s-behavior.html

Hudson, C. (2007, March 02). How Politics Affects Our Lives. Retrieved July 19, 2012 from  http://www.novanewsnow.com/News/Politics/2007-03-02/article-603796/How-Politics-Affects-Our-Lives/1 

Triandis, H.C., & Suh, E.M. (2002). Cultural Influences on Personality. Annual Reviews Psychology, 53, 133-160. Retrieved July 19, 2012 from   influences on personality.pdfhttp://web.yonsei.ac.kr/suh/file/Cultural 

Note that inflated English has been more characteristic of the centuries preceding Orwell and of Orwell's own time than on the latter part of the 20th century. There has been a shift in linguistics. As linguists and historians of language have noted, the Western model of language follows the monological approach. The monological approach has roots reaching back to Aristotle who saw communication as one of rhetoric, namely persuasion, where communication was a strategy for influencing people and helping them see reason, or the truth. In this way, the 'other' became viewed as object, communication was one way (monological) and the objective was how to best seduce the other to one's way of thinking. According to some linguists, such as Alfred Taylor, this reduction culminated in reducing conversation, depersonalizing words, and converting them into ideas rather than seeing the complexity of the speaker behind the words. It also led…...

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Source Orwell, G. Politics and the English Language, Horizon, 1946

Building Political Support Through Church:
How Politics Affects Community

America is a country founded on the right to religious freedom. Upon the creation of its laws, the founding fathers created a religious-based constitution. Throughout the many decades, lawmakers have found it just to change particular portions in order to make it more generally accepted by all religions. The lines between law and religion have been skewed, and the way in which a politician may build support through religion has become extremely sensitive. Because religion affects community, as does the politician, it is important to examine as to how and how much.

Whether or not one is religious or of a particular religion, they may benefit from the religious community's efforts. Religion has long been a force of unity, and those with strong religious practices are often good citizens and good neighbors in a community (McKanan, 2010). Religion contributes to its community in three…...

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Despite America's devotion to faith, there has been growth in violent crime, illegitimacy, substance abuse, and welfare dependency (Fagan, 1996). There are very few topics that divide a room quicker than politics and religion (Managing Communities, 2011), but the two must be addressed in respect for one another when policy makers create law (Fagan, 1996). When recently questioned about his faith, President Barack Obama replied, "My faith shapes my values, but applying those values to policymaking must be done with principles that are accessible to all people, religious or not (Obama, 2006)." However, despite America's comfort with religion and churches expressing themselves politically, intertwining the two has become a sensitive subject (People Press, 2000). In fact, many political figures use their religion to relate to potential voters (Cline, 1998), while some politicians use their opponents religion as a weapon to use against their opponent (The Economist, 2010).

How politicians must demonstrate their faith is best exemplified through Thomas Jefferson. He declared his religion, and doubts thereof, and did not impose it on others (Kim, 2010). When considering law, policymakers should do the same, and must be aware of how religion affects their community. First, there is often considered to be a link between family strength and practice of religion. Religious beliefs help form one's morals, as religion often demotes suicide, drug abuse, out-of-wedlock births, crime, and divorce. The regular practice of religion is said to also help mental health, self-esteem, and family and marital happiness. It also assists in strength and recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, marital breakdown, and killer disease (Fagan, 1996). Without considering these factors when signing in new laws, policymakers will be ignoring crucial facts about their community.

Religion plays a key role in a community in America. Though the lines between law and religion are gray, policy makers must determine how to use religion to their advantage. The people they represent are of different religions, and not respectfully listening to all of them could harm or insult the community.

Section A
Every industry that exists out there serves a specific purpose for its customers. Organizations in the mass media industry offer their own content. Producing and offering content is the basic mandate of the mass media. The media deals with producing content for the electronic channels, print, and the internet. One of the main functions that the media does in its delivery of services is the selection of the content to be delivered. This is because time and space are limited resources to the media. It is a difficult decision-making process to decide what they will include and exclude from content coverage. Therefore, it means that there are some stories that never make it to the audience through mass media. Both internal and external factors influence what is to be included in the content to be covered by mass media houses. The first and most conspicuous one is the economics…...

4). This idea has since been abandoned. The mythology of the Amazons, a matriarchy of warrior women, has been discounted as no more than a myth, one deriving from the deep-seated fear on the part of males that they might lose their power and authority. In matrilineal societies, men tend still to monopolize the rights of power. Some Chinese anthropologists believe the stories of true matriarchal societies in some regions of China in the past, but this is uncertain. A matriarchy would be presumed to be less warlike and more nurturing as a social order and would not subordinate men in the way men have done to women in the patriarchal society.
The formulation and operation of power in the largely patriarchal social order in the world today divides along other line than gender, with political action influenced most by ideology, religion, divisions of power, and other aspects of group…...

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References

Adler, F. (1983). Nations Not Obsessed with Crime. Littleton, Colorado: Fred B. Rotham and Co.

Berry, J.M. (1997). The interest group society. New York: Longman.

Crapo, R.H. (1993). Cultural anthropology. Sluice Dock Guilford, Conn.: Dushkin.

El-Awa, M.S. (1982). Punishment in Islamic Law. Indianapolis, Indiana: American Trust Publications.

Social Institutions
Our media is a major element of socialization for a number of reasons. The first is that it is, to some degree, a representation of the world we live in. While much of what is depicted is fiction, the way that people's home and work lives are presented on television is an influencer with respect to how we view our own lives, and the types of things to which we aspire. We pick up behavioral cues from the characters on TV shows, for example, but also cues about social structures and how we interact with one another. Our media is the means by which the majority of ideas are transmitted to us in the modern world, with television, the Internet and radio all receiving hours every day of exposure.

An example of this can be found in the sitcom. The sitcom as a medium is intended to generate humor through…...

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References

Kendall, D. (2015) Sociology in Our Times, Tenth Edition. Cengage.

This is significant because it shows how a shift would occur in the way various events were dealt with in the future. As many nations would forge alliances to: solve various conflicts and would engage in consensus building (to increase support for a cause). This is different from the various unilateral actions that would take place in the events leading to: World War I, World War II and the Cold War. As a result, this is a political benefit, with it changing the way world leaders would interact with one another. Where, the process of building a coalition and working with international institutions would continue to increase. In many ways, one could argue that the tactics used by the United States, would serve as blue print in how to conduct various foreign policy initiatives. (Lee, 2010)
At the same time, the war would allow many of the lingering conflicts to…...

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Bibliography

Lee, R. (2010). The Persian Gulf War. History Guy. Retrieved from:  http://www.historyguy.com/GulfWar.html#gulfwarcauses 

Weiss, T. (2005). Northern Iraq. Military -- Civilian Interactions. (pp. 39 -- 54). Lantham: Oxford.

" (Pearson Education, 2006) Civic education both encourages and teaches participation in a democratically governed society. It is the belief of this researcher that a correlation exists between civic education and participation and that the reason for this is quite simply the lack of knowledge on the part of individuals as to 'how' they can participate. This knowledge has not been routinely presented in education over the past thirty years and along with this has been witnessed a steady decline in civic participation except by the very few who presently participate. This work in its' research, while having answered the question presented finds that the question of whether this failure to educate citizens in the area of civic participation has been simply an oversight or a methodological and purposeful culling of citizen participation in civic politics, and if so then to what ends?
ibliography

How Political Socialization and Other Factors Influence Opinion…...

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Bibliography

How Political Socialization and Other Factors Influence Opinion Formation (2006) Pearson Education.

Join the Debate: Teaching Civics in American High Schools" (2006) Pearson Education.

Civic Education Debate

Movement
The Cold War of the communist and the capitalist countries gay way to spying worldwide, together with the political and military meddling in the inside matters of the poor countries. Some of these developments led to a negative consequence which called for much of the distrust and uncertainty towards the government that came after the cold war. Examples of these outcomes are the serious reaction of the Soviet Union towards the famous uprising against communism, which included the Hungarian evolution of 1965, also the invasion in 1961 of the Cuban Bay of Pigs by the U.S. And the Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring in 1968. The lie of Dwight D. Eisenhower, president of the U.S. In 1960, about the extent of the U2 episode led to an even greater distrust amongst the public against the government (Eisenstadt, 1956).

The establishment in the U.S. was disintegrated into political and military framework after the…...

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References

Bellah, Robert. "New Religious Consciousness and the Crisis of Modernity." In The New Religious Consciousness, edited by Charles dock and Robert Wuthnow, 1976.

Braungart, Margaret M. And Richard C. Braungart. "The Life-Course Development of Left- and Right-Wing Youth Activist Leaders from the 1960s." Political Psychology, 1990, 11:243-82.

DeMartini, Joseph R. "Social Movement Participation, Political Socialization, Generational Consciousness, and Lasting Effects." 1983, Youth atul Society 15:195-223.

Dunham, Charlotte Chorn, and Vern L. Bengtson, "The Long-Term Effects of Political. Activism on Intergenerational Relations." Youth and Society, 1992, 24:31-51.

The contact between the two groups is not always straight forward, and is often fought officially, through judicial practices, and unofficially, through dubious backstage arrangements and activities. However, there is also a legal manner through which interest groups have been given the right to influence political decisions and the laws voted upon. Lobbying is one such activity.

Although lobbyists are the subject of heated debate, as many citizens consider them to be just "wheeler-dealers continually wining and dining public officials in order to secure political favors at the expense of the general public" (Volkomer 282), their main function is to supply "information about their specialized interests to a few select public officials, communicating with members and others who are concerned with their problem" (283). However their role is rather interpretable. On the one hand, they represent the interests of a certain segment of the population, such as farmers, or railway workers.…...

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Bibliography

Janda, Kenneth, Jeffrey Berry, and Jerry Goldman. The challenge of democracy: government in America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989.

Jewell Malcolm E, and David M. Olson. American state political parties and elections. Homewoo: The Dorsey Press, 1982.

Volkomer, Walter E.. American government. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts,1972.

Political Participation1. Three primary agents of political socialization are family, education, and media. Family plays a crucial role in shaping an individual\\\'s political beliefs by providing their initial exposure to political ideas and values. Education exposes individuals to political knowledge, concepts, and ideas. The media disseminates political information. Three secondary agents of political socialization are religion, peer groups, and political leaders. A person\\\'s political opinion can change over time due to changing circumstances, personal experiences, exposure to new information, or a shift in values.2. Political ideology refers to a set of beliefs about the role of government. Libertarianism emphasizes individual liberty and minimal government intervention in economic and social matters. Classical liberalism advocates for limited government intervention. Modern liberalism emphasizes the government\\\'s role in promoting social justice, equality, and individual freedoms. Traditional conservatism emphasizes the importance of preserving traditional values. Modern conservatism emphasizes a strong national defense and free-market capitalism.…...

Captivating Essay Topics Related to Public Opinion and Socialization

I. The Role of Social Media in Shaping Public Opinion
The echo chamber effect: How social media algorithms reinforce existing beliefs
The spread of fake news: The role of social media in propagating misinformation
Digital activism: The impact of social media on political mobilization
The polarization paradox: How social media contributes to both political polarization and civic engagement

II. The Influence of Mass Media on Socialization
The agenda-setting theory: How mass media sets the public's priorities
The cultivation theory: How television and other mass media shape our perceptions of the world
The priming....